How to Clear Cache on Chrome: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone

Desktop time range: Last hour to All time (Google Account Help (desktop steps)) · Android default window: 15 minutes (Google Chrome Help (Android guide)) · iOS default window: 15 minutes (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)) · Cache-only clear: keeps your cookies and logins (Google Account Help) · Cookie clear: signs you out of most sites (Google Account Help)

Nine facts about Chrome’s cache behavior, one pattern: the cache is local and mostly harmless to clear, while cookies are where the sign-out costs live.

How do I clear my cache or cookies in Chrome?

Chrome’s clearing window looks slightly different on desktop, Android, and iOS, but the logic is the same: pick a time range, choose “Cached images and files,” and leave cookies alone when you want to keep your sessions (Google Account Help (official desktop steps)).

Using the three-dot menu on desktop

1. Open the More menu. Click the three dots in the top-right corner of Chrome.
2. Open the clearing window. Go to More tools → Clear browsing data (Google Account Help).
3. Choose the time range. You can clear the last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks, or all time (Google Account Help).
4. Tick the right boxes. Check “Cached images and files” only; leave “Cookies and other site data” unchecked to keep your logins (Google Account Help).
5. Confirm. Click delete in the bottom corner of the window and wait a second.

Using keyboard shortcuts

• Windows and ChromeOS: Ctrl + Shift + Delete opens the same Clear browsing data window directly.
• Mac: Command + Shift + Delete does the same.
• Once the window opens, follow steps 3–5 above to clear cache without touching cookies (Google Account Help).

Clearing on Android and iOS

• Android — 1. Open More. Tap the three dots in the top-right of Chrome on Android (Google Chrome Help).
• Android — 2. Tap Delete browsing data. That’s the direct entry point on Android (Google Chrome Help).
• Android — 3. Check the duration. Android defaults to the last 15 minutes — switch to a longer range if the problem goes back further (Google Chrome Help).
• Android — 4. Select Cached images and files. Use More options for granular control, including cookies from one website, downloads, saved passwords, or autofill (Google Chrome Help).
• Android — 5. Delete. Confirm and the cache is gone.
• iPhone/iPad — 1. Open More. Tap the three dots at the bottom of Chrome on iOS (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).
• iPhone/iPad — 2. Tap Delete Browsing Data. This is the exact wording iOS uses (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).
• iPhone/iPad — 3. Pick a duration. The default is 15 minutes; choose a longer range to clear older cache (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).
• iPhone/iPad — 4. Select data types. Tick Cached Images and Files; add Cookies and Site Data only if you want to clear logins too (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).
• iPhone/iPad — 5. Confirm. Tap Delete Browsing Data to finish (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).

Clearing on a Mac or Windows laptop

• Windows 10/11: three-dot menu → More tools → Clear browsing data; Ctrl + Shift + Delete from any tab jumps straight there.
• Mac: identical menu flow; Command + Shift + Delete is the direct shortcut.
• Chromebook and Linux: the same desktop window works, with the same cache-and-cookie checkboxes (Google Account Help).
• If you mainly work on a laptop, the whole desktop route is laid out step by step in our related guide: How to Clear Cache on Chrome: Step-by-Step Guide & FAQ.

The pattern across all four routes: the menu changes names, but the decision is identical — cache for speed, cookies for logins, and the checkbox you pick determines who stays signed in.

What does “cache” mean?

Cache sounds technical, but it’s just short-term memory for your browser. When Chrome opens a page, it quietly stashes parts of that page on your device so the next visit is faster (Google Account Help (official Chrome cache guide)).

Why browsers create cache files

• When you open a page, Chrome downloads images, scripts, and other resources; it keeps copies locally so the next visit doesn’t start from zero (Google Account Help).
• Those copies live on your device — clearing them doesn’t touch anything on the website’s server (Google Account Help).
• The trade-off: if a page updates, Chrome can keep serving the older stored copy until you clear it (Google Account Help).
• That’s why stale pages, broken layouts, and “why am I seeing the old version” issues are the classic signals that a cache clear is due (Google Account Help).

Cache vs. cookies: key differences

• Cookies are small files created by websites to save browsing-related information and make sites easier to use (Google Account Help).
• Cache is about performance — reusing downloaded files; cookies are about state — logins, preferences, and sessions (Google Account Help).
• They are separate checkboxes in Chrome’s Clear browsing data window, so clearing cache does not automatically clear cookies (Google Account Help).
• In practical terms: cache cleared means you stay logged in; cookies cleared means you’re back to guest mode almost everywhere (Google Account Help).

The easiest mental model: the cache is what makes pages load fast, and cookies are what make the web remember you. One is a speed tool; the other is an identity tool — and Chrome’s settings treat them that way.

Does clearing cache delete my history?

No — and this is the most important distinction in this whole guide. Your browsing history and your cache are two different stored items, even though they live in the same settings window (Google Account Help).

Cache vs. browsing history: distinctions

• Browsing history is a list of pages you visited; cache is the stored files from those pages (Google Account Help).
• Chrome’s clearing window lists them as separate categories: “Browsing history” and “Cached images and files” (Google Account Help).
• Because they’re separate, you can clear one and keep the other — the checkboxes tell the real story (Google Account Help).
• On Android, you can also delete granular categories — downloads, saved passwords, autofill — none of which are your history (Google Chrome Help).

How to clear history separately

• Desktop: More → More tools → Clear browsing data → tick only “Browsing history” → choose a range → confirm (Google Account Help).
• Android: More → Delete browsing data → select Browsing history and leave Cached images and files unticked (Google Chrome Help).
• iPhone/iPad: More → Delete Browsing Data → choose Browsing History and a duration (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).

What this means: if your goal is erasing where you’ve been, clear history — clearing cache alone leaves your trail exactly where it was.

Is it better to clear cookies or cache?

It depends on the symptom, and matching the symptom to the right checkbox saves you from an evening of password resets.

Pros and cons of clearing cache

• Clears the outdated files that cause broken layouts and stale content (Google Account Help).
• Frees local storage on your device (Google Account Help).
• Cost: the first visit to a site after clearing is slower because Chrome re-downloads the files (Google Account Help).

Pros and cons of clearing cookies

• Removes site settings, personalization, and tracking-related data (Google Account Help).
• Cost: you must sign in again to most sites, and site preferences reset (Google Account Help).
• Google-specific note: on Android, clearing cookies while signed in to Chrome does not sign you out of your Google Account itself (Google Chrome Help).

When to clear both together

• If a site is still misbehaving after a cache-only clear, cookies are the next suspect (Google Account Help).
• If privacy is the goal, clearing both removes the local file copies and the local tracking files in one pass (Google Account Help).
• If storage is critically low, clearing both gives back the most space — but budget time for re-logins afterward.

The decision rule: start with cache for anything visual, jump to cookies for anything related to logins or preferences, and clear both only when a site is truly stuck.

How often should you clear your cache?

If you clear cache on a fixed schedule, you’re solving a problem you may not have. The smarter trigger is a symptom: a page that looks wrong, a site that won’t update, a device that’s short on storage.

Signs that indicate you need to clear cache

• A page keeps showing the old version after the site visibly updated (Google Account Help).
• Images, menus, or layouts look broken or half-loaded (Google Account Help).
• Device storage is running low — Chrome’s cached files take up real local space until cleared (Google Account Help).

General frequency guidelines

• There’s no universal interval backed by research; a monthly clear is a reasonable baseline for general maintenance.
• Heavy browsing plus limited storage means more frequent clears; casual use can go months without needing one.
• After any clear, expect the very next visit to a familiar site to feel slower — that’s the re-download, not a new problem (Google Account Help).

Chrome’s automatic clearing options

• Chrome doesn’t clear cache automatically by default — the clearing window is a manual step in the documented flow (Google Account Help).
• On Android and iOS, the default 15-minute window applies when you open the clearing screen — it’s a quick manual clear, not a background auto-cleaner (Google Chrome Help; Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).
• If the same site keeps serving stale files, clearing cache forces that refresh and usually settles it (Google Account Help).

Why this matters: cache only becomes a problem when it serves you stale files — and the moment that happens, clearing it is the cure, not the chore.

Three stored data types, one pattern: each exists for a different job, and clearing the wrong one costs you in load time, logins, or your trail.

Steps at a glance

• Desktop (Windows/Mac): More menu → More tools → Clear browsing data → choose a time range → tick Cached images and files → confirm (Google Account Help). Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete / Command + Shift + Delete.
• Android: More → Delete browsing data → set the duration (15-minute default) → select Cached images and files → Delete (Google Chrome Help).
• iPhone/iPad: More → Delete Browsing Data → set the duration → select Cached Images and Files → confirm (Google Ads Help (iOS guide)).
• Keep your logins: leave “Cookies and other site data” unticked on desktop, and don’t select Cookies on mobile (Google Account Help; Google Chrome Help).
• For a device-by-device version with localhost tips, see How to Clear Cache on Chrome: Desktop, Android, iPhone, Localhost.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

The mechanics of clearing cache are well documented; where research gets fuzzy is frequency and real-world impact.

The honest read: the mechanics are documented, but the “right” frequency is still a judgment call you’ll make from your own usage.

What the official documentation says

“Cached images and files are copies of pages, images, and other media content stored on your device. Clearing them is what forces Chrome to download the current version of a site on your next visit.”

— Google Account Help (official Chrome cache guide)

“On Android, the default duration for clearing browsing data is 15 minutes, and More options lets you delete individual categories — including cookies from one website, downloads, saved passwords, and autofill entries.”

— Google Chrome Help (Android clearing guide)

“On iPhone and iPad, the flow is consistent: open More, tap Delete Browsing Data, choose a duration, select the data types, and confirm the deletion.”

— Google Ads Help (official iOS guide)

What all three sources agree on: cache and cookies are different tools, and the clearing interface treats them that way on every platform — your only real decision is which one you actually meant to remove.

Cache is the browser’s short-term memory, and clearing it is the cheapest fix in Chrome’s toolbox — it refreshes stale pages, frees storage, and leaves your logins alone as long as you skip the cookie box. For anyone running Chrome on a shared or synced device, the decision is clear: start with a cache-only clear and keep account-level categories untouched, because the alternative — clearing everything in one swipe — costs every login on the machine and, on Android, can ripple across every device signed into the same Google Account (Google Chrome Help).

The pattern holds across all three official guides: cache and cookies are separate controls, and the checkbox you pick determines whether you keep your logins.

Frequently asked questions

The short version: clear cache for speed, clear cookies only when you’re ready to sign back in, and leave history alone unless you want to erase your trail.